Chapter 47 Chapter 47 "Why not?"...
Shangguan Li had just returned from the courtyard when he saw Shangguan Xu coming out of the house.
He then asked, "What's wrong, Ah Xu? Did you think of anything else you want to eat for dinner? Just tell me and I'll arrange it."
Shangguan Xu smiled slightly and said, "No, but I do have something I want to trouble you with."
"What is it?"
"I haven't been home for a long time. I want to go to my old courtyard and be alone for a while."
Shangguan Li understood: "Okay, I'll give the order right away, and no one will disturb you."
Shangguan Xu smiled and said, "Thank you, brother."
——
Outside Shangguan Mansion, the group of people chasing Xu Qing'an turned out of the alley and then disappeared without a trace of Xu Qing'an.
The leader looked around and spat, "You're running really fast." He waved in a direction and said, "Chase over there."
The merchant who had just been blinded by the white powder reached out and pulled him: "Wait!" He rubbed his eyes, "Give me the antidote first."
"What antidote?"
"What on earth is the antidote to that powder you just sprinkled? I'm feeling hot and dry right now."
The man laughed teasingly: "You want an antidote? Just go to Pingkangfang."
The merchant suddenly realized: "You..."
The man said nonchalantly, "I'll just throw away whatever I can grab. Otherwise, how can I save you?" Then he added sternly, "Now that we've been exposed, we must find that person quickly, or there will be endless trouble. Su Wulang said that the Jiangnan incident was caused by the battle between the Empress Dowager and Lord Su, which implicated us. That person is a close minister of the Empress Dowager and must have been behind many of the plots. We must side with Lord Su, so we must target the Empress Dowager."
"Chase first."
——
In Shangguan Mansion, Shangguan Xu listened to Qinghe's account of the whole story.
At that time, Qinghe was getting something from Shangguan Xu's original yard, but she saw a young man with blood all over his clothes sitting slumped under the wall.
Her heart tightened, and she wanted to turn around and go out to call for help, but she heard the voice of "Master Qinghe" first.
The voice was familiar and harmless, so she mustered up the courage to walk towards the person by the wall. When she saw his face clearly, she was even more shocked: "Master Xu!"
Qing He said to Shangguan Xu, "He said he was being ambushed and pursued, and his eyes were injured by the powder, so he had to find a courtyard to take shelter."
Shangguan Xu laughed, thinking that he had also been in such an embarrassing situation. However, he then thought about who was chasing him in such a high-profile manner.
Shangguan Xu said, "The people chasing him will definitely follow us. Take my token and have the Imperial Guards outside the palace check for any suspicious individuals. If they find any, capture them immediately, preferably alive."
Qinghe nodded in response.
——
In the room, Xu Qing'an sat slumped on the edge of the couch, his chest heaving violently and his breathing was obvious.
After all, he was a man who had experienced a lot of things. After a while, he had realized what the white powder that the man had just sprinkled on him was.
The ship merchants lived a luxurious life because even when the shipping business reached the capital, they did not forget to indulge in sensual pleasures and visit the imperial court.
Places like Pingkangfang are not short of drugs to enhance sexual pleasure.
The moment the door opened, the light from the lantern outside shone in. Xu Qing'an, who was leaning against the bed, was dazzled. He subconsciously raised his sleeves to block it, and then vaguely saw a figure walking towards him.
He kicked his legs and waved his arms: "Get out!"
Even if the poison in the body repels the medicinal properties of the medicine, the two will counteract each other, and a lot of one's own energy will be consumed, so the medicine will still erode the body.
Xu Qing'an's mind was in a daze, his throat was dry, his whole body was hot, and his mind was almost collapsed. He knew that the person in front of him was a woman, so he was afraid that he would lose control and shrank into a ball.
However, he changed his mind and realized that he had escaped their pursuit and was now in Shangguan Mansion.
Thinking of this, Xu Qing calmed down for a moment, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
When she came.
He let go of his previous resistance, raised his moist eyes and looked at the person who came, his eyelashes were watery, the corners of his eyes were full of crimson, and he forced a smile and said, "My Lady."
Shangguan Xu walked to a foot or two in front of him and stopped. Even though Qinghe had already told her about his situation, she was still shocked by his condition when she saw it with her own eyes.
He was covered in blood, but the blood on his face was particularly glaring, which was very different from his usual appearance.
In fact, he has a cold bone structure. If he didn't smile often, his temperament would be even more cold and aloof. Now, against the backdrop of blood, his cold temperament was even more stimulated. However, he was injured in the eyes, and his eyes were misty, which brought out a sense of brokenness.
Compared to his embarrassment, the girl in front of him was still dignified and elegant, one standing and the other lying, two different looks.
"How did it become like this?" Shangguan Xu frowned upon seeing this, and his words were filled with concern.
Xu Qing'an sighed with a trembling breath, "I was careless for a moment. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Majesty."
Shangguan Xu asked, "Are you injured?"
Xu Qing'an raised his head and turned to her sideways: "There's nothing on my body, just one wound on my face. My lady, would you like to take a closer look?"
He was joking on purpose, hoping to boost his energy, but as soon as he finished speaking, he felt the light and shadow in front of him move slightly, and a cold and slender clamp clamped his chin and turned him around.
His expression froze, and then he trembled for a moment, his eyes filled with disbelief.
His eyes hadn't recovered yet, so he couldn't see clearly, but he knew she had slowly squatted beside him, looking at him with a concerned look: "Where are your eyes? Are your eyes okay?"
Before she stopped, her other hand gently stroked his eyelids, causing his eyelashes to tremble. "Do you want me to find a doctor for you?"
With a "snap", her wrist was grabbed. He opened his eyelids and looked straight at her.
Shangguan Xu looked back without any hesitation, his sight inadvertently starting from his eyebrows, passing over his bright red lips and slender neck, and clearly saw the abnormal red color invading under his slightly messy clothes.
She had a rough idea of what the powder left on his face was.
But she raised her eyebrows, seemingly unaware, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why aren't you talking?" She asked tentatively, "Do you know who's chasing you?"
Xu Qing'an stared intently, his breathing noticeable. He only answered the last question: "He was the former head of one of the major Jiangnan shipping merchants."
Shangguan Xu: "Do they know that you were behind their previous experience?"
Xu Qing'an: "I think so." His Adam's apple rolled, "But most likely they didn't find out. I'm afraid they heard it from someone."
Shangguan Xu smiled: "It seems that you have offended many people."
Xu Qing'an released her wrist and replied with a forced smile, "It's something I expected a long time ago, so it's not a surprise."
Shangguan Xu then asked, "If you anticipated this, why didn't you prepare earlier? Why didn't you bring a few more expert guards with you? Or if you think it's too conspicuous, you could arrange for secret guards."
Xu Qing'an realized what she was trying to find out, and immediately propped up his dazed head and replied, "Your Majesty, you think too highly of me. How can I, with my status, afford to train secret guards?"
Shangguan Xu raised an eyebrow and continued, "Is that so? Does training secret guards consume a lot of energy and money?"
Xu Qing'an simply said, "I haven't trained anyone, so I don't know. However, with my family background and salary, I'm content with a house in the capital and a few servants to help with chores. As for expert secret guards, those are beyond my capabilities. Why is it that Your Majesty is concerned about this issue?"
Shangguan Xu smiled and said, "No, I'm just concerned about Xu Qing's safety. But I guess Xu Qing has mastered some excellent martial arts, so he should be able to protect himself."
"By the way, I haven't asked Xu Qing where his master is. His Majesty should be learning martial arts at this age, so I'm thinking of finding him a teacher."
Xu Qing'an said, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. If you want to learn martial arts, you should select a good instructor from the Imperial Guards. Your Majesty, are you asking me to find a teacher for you?"
Shangguan Xu nodded and said frankly, "Indeed, I do. The Imperial Guards' moves are very systematic, emphasizing group combat like other armies. However, Xu Qing's martial arts are more individualistic, and I like them very much. Therefore, I would like Your Majesty to learn from them. Could Xu Qing help me find suitable instructors? If they can come to the palace to teach Your Majesty martial arts, I will certainly treat them well and offer them promotions and everything else."
them……
She claimed to be looking for a teacher for the little emperor, but in fact she was taking advantage of his confusion from Chinese medicine to test how many talented people were behind him.
Xu Qing'an closed his eyes, but even if he realized her intention, the drug had taken effect on his brain, making him drowsy and his mind working slowly. He was afraid that she would trick him into revealing things step by step.
He raised his eyes again, frowned, and said pitifully, "Your Majesty... I feel so uncomfortable... I feel like I'm almost losing my sight, and my body feels so heavy and stuffy..."
Shangguan Xu lowered her eyes and took a look at his body's reaction. She had to say that she admired him. Even when his body was so hot, he could still hold on to his head and deal with her calmly.
She should have called a doctor for him, but it was rare to see him in this state. This was a good opportunity for her to test him. She wanted to know what his purpose was and what bargaining chips he had.
And he didn't lie. Although he tried to change the subject deliberately, he was really uncomfortable and felt unbearable.
Sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Do you know what this powder on your face is?"
A scent of peony flowers came over him, and the sweat on his forehead was gently wiped away by her. The peony scent was like a catalytic agent, which was determined to ignite the fire that he had been suppressing in his heart.
He couldn't let her go on like this!
"My Queen!" He clamped her wrist again, this time with much greater force than before.
Shangguan Xu's wrist ached, but she felt his trembling breath more. She listened to him say, "Your Majesty, since you already know what drug I was poisoned with, why do you still ask? Shouldn't Your Majesty stay away from me when I'm in this state? Or is it that Your Majesty really cares about me and wants to help me detoxify?" His smile twisted, "Although I'm unconscious now, Your Majesty still remembers the promise you made to me!"
But as soon as he said it, he regretted it. He had really lost his mind. How could he scare her away with those words? What if, what if...
"Why not?" Shangguan Xu said softly.
Xu Qing'an was stunned for a moment.
Under his stunned gaze, Shangguan Xu calmly finished his next words: "Could it be that... I can't love Xu Qing anymore?"
With a bang, all the drowsiness in Xu Qing'an's mind was swept away.
He didn't know how to start: "What did you say?"
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